Most customer loyalty programs available across the service industry have largely focused on building repeat patronage. There is now a combined approach through a theoretical framework of customer loyalty that uses both repeat patronage and relative attitude constructs in measuring loyalty. Paying greater attention to attitude could help improve the cost effectiveness of the programs because the incentives used to enhance the attitudinal loyalty are often in the form of non-financial benefits. / This study contributes to an understanding of the relative effectiveness of a fee-based loyalty program and identifies the factors required for a successful program within the hotel industry. / Two key functions derived from an analysis of social influences variables are explained as implicit and explicit concerns. Implicit concerns, such as knowing and greeting individual members, show greater strength in terms of loyalty development. This result contributes to the existing theory that social influences in the form of implicit concern are of higher importance than explicit concern. There is also no significant difference in the perceived importance toward social influence benefits among the new and renewed members. There would be no greater impact in giving more value to long-standing members over newer members. But there would be greater impact when giving more attractive hard benefits to the new members or to the existing members in the renewal stage. / Even though the study derives specific and unique findings, it is notable that in many areas the results of research match those conducted elsewhere in different industries and cultural contexts. Another limitation is that this study reveals the loyalty condition and the factors that influence loyalty development from the perspective of existing members only. / Further research could be geared towards the issue of member valuation, finding out the optimal value of financial benefits given in exchange for a certain membership fee. Future research could also examine the strengths and weaknesses of a fee based frequency program. It is suggested that action research could be used among the members with implicit concern, or even those with no implicit concern, to help gain higher validity. / Thesis (DBA(DoctorateofBusinessAdministration))--University of South Australia, 2007.

Most customer loyalty programs available across the service industry have largely focused on building repeat patronage. There is now a combined approach through a theoretical framework of customer loyalty that uses both repeat patronage and relative attitude constructs in measuring loyalty. Paying greater attention to attitude could help improve the cost effectiveness of the programs because the incentives used to enhance the attitudinal loyalty are often in the form of non-financial benefits. / This study contributes to an understanding of the relative effectiveness of a fee-based loyalty program and identifies the factors required for a successful program within the hotel industry. / Two key functions derived from an analysis of social influences variables are explained as implicit and explicit concerns. Implicit concerns, such as knowing and greeting individual members, show greater strength in terms of loyalty development. This result contributes to the existing theory that social influences in the form of implicit concern are of higher importance than explicit concern. There is also no significant difference in the perceived importance toward social influence benefits among the new and renewed members. There would be no greater impact in giving more value to long-standing members over newer members. But there would be greater impact when giving more attractive hard benefits to the new members or to the existing members in the renewal stage. / Even though the study derives specific and unique findings, it is notable that in many areas the results of research match those conducted elsewhere in different industries and cultural contexts. Another limitation is that this study reveals the loyalty condition and the factors that influence loyalty development from the perspective of existing members only. / Further research could be geared towards the issue of member valuation, finding out the optimal value of financial benefits given in exchange for a certain membership fee. Future research could also examine the strengths and weaknesses of a fee based frequency program. It is suggested that action research could be used among the members with implicit concern, or even those with no implicit concern, to help gain higher validity. / Thesis (DBA(DoctorateofBusinessAdministration))--University of South Australia, 2007.

Study Supervisor: Mr J.H. Visser Completed: 2008 / A loyal customer can mean a consistent source of revenue to organizations. Organizations have shifted their emphasis of finding customers to one of keeping customers. One of the relationship-marketing tools employed to harness customer loyalty is the customer loyalty programme. Loyalty programmes are an established feature of the retail landscape in mature, developed markets. The South African market has recently seen the implementation of such programmes. There is considerable debate as to the effectiveness of loyalty programmes in achieving customer loyalty. Research conducted in mature markets has revealed mixed results. The South African market has been shaped by the recent economic, political and social changes, and is unique in its make-up. The value and effect of loyalty programmes still have to be explored within this market. The study aimed at exploring the awareness, perceptions and effects of customer loyalty programmes within the retail industry of the Durban Metropolitan area. Focus groups were conducted from which a questionnaire was formulated. The questionnaire was then distributed to 115 consumers with the Durban Metropolitan area. The study revealed that the respondents within the sample had an accurate understanding of the purpose of a customer loyalty programme. A slightly higher proportion of respondents belonged to one or more customer loyalty programmes. It was revealed, however, that membership to customer loyalty programmes did not primarily influence purchasing behaviour. Consumers were influenced to join and use the customer loyalty programmes by the rewards and perks offered by the programme. Customers tended to favour programmes offering incentives perceived to be worthwhile and when the benefits of joining such a programme outweighed the cost. Regular customers are more loyalty programmes likely to join customer, thereby increasing the received benefits.

Study Supervisor: Mr J.H. Visser Completed: 2008 / A loyal customer can mean a consistent source of revenue to organizations. Organizations have shifted their emphasis of finding customers to one of keeping customers. One of the relationship-marketing tools employed to harness customer loyalty is the customer loyalty programme. Loyalty programmes are an established feature of the retail landscape in mature, developed markets. The South African market has recently seen the implementation of such programmes. There is considerable debate as to the effectiveness of loyalty programmes in achieving customer loyalty. Research conducted in mature markets has revealed mixed results. The South African market has been shaped by the recent economic, political and social changes, and is unique in its make-up. The value and effect of loyalty programmes still have to be explored within this market. The study aimed at exploring the awareness, perceptions and effects of customer loyalty programmes within the retail industry of the Durban Metropolitan area. Focus groups were conducted from which a questionnaire was formulated. The questionnaire was then distributed to 115 consumers with the Durban Metropolitan area. The study revealed that the respondents within the sample had an accurate understanding of the purpose of a customer loyalty programme. A slightly higher proportion of respondents belonged to one or more customer loyalty programmes. It was revealed, however, that membership to customer loyalty programmes did not primarily influence purchasing behaviour. Consumers were influenced to join and use the customer loyalty programmes by the rewards and perks offered by the programme. Customers tended to favour programmes offering incentives perceived to be worthwhile and when the benefits of joining such a programme outweighed the cost. Regular customers are more loyalty programmes likely to join customer, thereby increasing the received benefits.

Magistro darbą sudaro trys dalys. Pirmojoje darbo dalyje pateikta ir nagrinėta elektroninės prekybos konceptas, klientų lojalumo samprata ir stadijos virtualioje aplinkoje, taip pat išskiriami veiksniai, didinantys klientų lojalumą. Pateiktas klientų lojalumo didinimo virtualioje elektroninėje prekyboje struktūrinis modelis. Antrojoje darbo dalyje. Pateikta tyrimo metodologija, tikslas ir uţdaviniai. Atlikta ankstesnių klientų lojalumo didinimo virtualioje aplinkoje tyrimų rezultatų analizė. Trečiojoje darbo dalyje atliktas klientų lojalumo elektroninėje prekyboje empirinis tyrimas ir apibendrinti jo rezultatai. Empiriškai patikrintas klientų lojalumo didinimo elektroninėje prekyboje struktūrinis modelis. Šiame darbe yra trys dalys, 22 lentelės, 13 paveikslai ir 130 literatūros šaltiniai anglų ir lietuvių kalbomis. / Customer‟s loyalty is one of the biggest concerns by companies today as loyal customers are considered extremely valuable. Most companies are trying to create and keep customer‟s loyalty. With the development of the Internet, more and more companies are finding new ways to do business. The concept of “e-loyalty” has been an area of growing interest by both companies and in the scholary literature. How to build e-loyalty has become the focus of this study. The present study empirically investigates the roles of service quality, satisfaction and trust in an e-commerce context. The main objective of this master„s work is to design increasing customer loyalty on the e-commerce theoretical model and to evaluate it empirically. The paper consists of introduction, three main parts and conclusions. The introduction begins with the analysis of topicality which is followed by definition of problem. In this part the research object, the aim of this work and objectives are formulated. This part ends with description of research method used in this work. The first part begins with the analysis of e-commerce. After that the concept of customer e-loyalty to store is defined and factors influencing e-loylaty are identified and analyzed. In this part the relationship between costumer e-loyalty and store quality dimensions, trust and satisfaction are theoretically justify. This part ends with the analysis of other researchers conceptual e-loayalty models. In the beginning of second... [to full text]

Thesis (MBus) -- Auckland University of Technology, 2003. / Appendices A and B not included in e-thesis. Also held in print (109 leaves, 30 cm.) in City Campus Theses Collection (T 658.8343 SIN)

M.B.A. / Increasing customer longevity in branch banking is a difficult process, with the average bank loosing fifteen (15%) to twenty (20%) percent of its customers each year, any help a bank can get in holding on to them is welcome (Power, 2000: 19). Central to these concerns is researchers and practitioners realization that: Not all customers should be targeted with retention and loyalty efforts and, Some of the most satisfied and loyal customers might still switch / defect for reasons beyond the control of the bank and at times even beyond the control of the customer. Although it is encouraging to note the increasing awareness that not all customers are alike (Blattenberg and Deighton; Reichheld, 1993), little is known about how and why they differ. Simple put, if important attitudinal and behavioural differences can be identified among various customer groups, service providers can efficiently identify and target customers as part of a broader acquisition, value assessment, and retention strategy. This, in essence is the focus of the current study.

M.B.A. / Straddling the tropic of Capricorn, land-locked Botswana spans a vast 581,730 square kilometres in area. The country shares borders with Namibia to the north and west, Zambia and Zimbabwe to the north-east, and South Africa to the east and south. The Botswana Central Statistics Office (CSO) estimate a 2001 population of 1,68 million with an annual growth rate of 2.4% (Annual Economic Report, (2003)). The population is concentrated mainly in the fertile eastern and southern one third of the country. The remaining two thirds of the country's land is covered with the thick sands of the Kgalagadi Desert. Rainfall in the country is sporadic and erratic. According to the 2001 National Census the urban population of the country stands at 52.1% with the capital Gaborone accounting for 10.1% of the country's population. Francistown, the second and only other city, accounts for 4.9% of the country's population. The remainder of the urban population is distributed among 14 smaller urban centres. Gaborone accounts for 26.9% of the country's population between the ages of 25 and 54 years (Annual Economic Report, 2003.) 1.1.2. Communication The communication network is fairly sophisticated with 19.4% of the county's roads paved. The telephone network is fully digital, with Internet, e-mail, fax facilities available in all major centres of the country. Telex, data-switching, satellite-link and voice-mail service are also available nationwide. There are two cellular phone service provides and eleven internet service providers (ISPs). There are 27 Batswana to a telephone. (See Table 1: Botswana Social Statistics 2001 Table 1: Botswana Social Statistics: 2001 Life Expectancy 65.2 Population per Physician 3448 Persons per telephone 27 Persons per radio 95 Daily Newspapers 1 Persons per vehicle 21 Paved roads % 19.4 Primary School numbers 330,767 Tertiary education numbers 128,744 Literacy rate % 70 (Source: Annual Economic Report: 2003) 1.1.3. Economic performance Domestic output, as measured by Gross Domestic Product (GDP), is estimated to have grown, in nominal terms from P16.54 billion (SAR 25,47 billion) in 2000/2001 to P16.91 billion (SAR 26,04 billion) in 2001/2002, representing an increase of 2.3%. The increase for the previous year had been 17.2% (Annual Economic Report 2003) A slump in mining, with a growth rate of 3.1% (17.2% the previous year) was the major contributor to the slow growth. Banks, Insurance and Business services also shared significant growth among the non-mining sectors of the economy. (See Table 2: Economic Structure).

Thesis (MIHM) -- AUT University, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references. Also held in print (102 leaves. ; 30 cm.) in City Campus Theses Collection (T 658.8343 GUA )

The aims of the thesis are two-fold. The first aim is to evaluate the antecedents which influence loyalty to Tesco and Tesco Clubcard, contending that customer loyalty is influenced by factors of both a social and marketing nature. The second aim is to assess the nature and type of loyalty exhibited by Tesco customers towards Tesco and Tesco Clubcard. These two aims derive from the research question ‘What are the antecedents of loyalty exhibited by Tesco customers towards Tesco and Tesco Clubcard?’ and are integrated in the research hypotheses to be addressed in the research: H1 satisfaction, trust, commitment, emotional attachment and passion are influential in a customer’s loyalty towards Tesco and Tesco Clubcard, was supported; H2 older females are the demographic group most likely to be loyal to Tesco and Tesco Clubcard, was supported; H3 Tesco customers exhibit ‘incentivised’ loyalty towards Tesco Clubcard, was not supported. The context to this research is that loyalty to grocery retailers is argued to be based on satisfaction, trust and commitment, with loyalty programmes playing an ‘incentivising’ role in customer loyalty. Using 600 questionnaires conducted at 2 Tesco formats, Tesco Extra and Dundee Riverside Extra in Dundee, Scotland with Tesco customers and 20 interviews at the homes of female Tesco customers aged 51 and over, the research drew a number of conclusions. The first conclusion from the research is that there are significant positive relationships between all the tested antecedents (satisfaction, trust, commitment, recommendation, emotional attachment and passion) and loyalty, indicating a level of respondent loyalty which has a ‘social’ dimension to it. However, customer loyalty towards Tesco and Tesco Clubcard is not particularly ‘social’ in nature, it was premised on the antecedents of happiness/satisfaction, trust and to a lesser extent commitment with grocery shopping viewed as a practical activity and different from a social relationship. The second conclusion was that Tesco customers were spuriously loyal to Tesco and Tesco Clubcard, loyal because of convenience and to a lesser extent incentives. By convenience the research revealed Tesco’s ability to create an environment which encouraged customers to rely on their convenient store location and accessible opening hours, operating a near monopoly with its 8 stores across all retail formats in convenient locations in Dundee and Broughty Ferry and the ease in which customers can use Tesco Clubcard and the lack of effort required to access offers. The third conclusion was that Tesco customers were more loyal to Tesco than Tesco Clubcard with the majority of interviewees referring to Tesco and Tesco Clubcard being ‘one entity’. This underlines the perceived limited capacity of Tesco Clubcard to increase frequency to or spend in store and the importance of the peculiarities of Tesco as a grocery retailer in Dundee. By peculiarities this research referred to Tesco’s retail dominance in Dundee in terms of market share, number and location of stores, the staff employed, it’s varied online and offline ‘grocery package’ and its use of the media to remind customers that they are attempting to build a relationship, almost social in nature with their customers, a fact acknowledged by a number of interviewees. The fourth conclusion was that females, particularly those aged 51 and over were the most loyal to Tesco and Tesco Clubcard, argued to be because it was in their nature to invest time and effort into maintaining relationships and friendships which translated into their shopping behaviour. The final conclusion was in terms of the characteristics of a Tesco customer most likely to be loyal, someone who always used Tesco, driving past other grocery retailers to patronise a Tesco store, would recommend Tesco to others, had a family member employed or previously employed by Tesco, owned and always used their Tesco Clubcard, preferred Tesco as a grocery retailer and would not switch their current loyalty from Tesco, frequented the store 1-3 times a week and were aged between 58 and 63. These conclusions contribute to existing research in the areas of customer loyalty and loyalty programmes in three parts. First, this study consolidates and takes research forward in the areas of loyalty programmes, customer loyalty and the role of age and gender in customer loyalty. Second, the research identifies the peculiarities of Tesco in Dundee and the capacity of these peculiarities to engender convenient loyalty among customers. Finally, as one of only a handful of studies on Tesco and Tesco Clubcard the results should prove useful to academics and practitioners alike given the high levels of interest into why Tesco and Tesco Clubcard are so successful in the UK grocery retail sector.